


Warmth of Another Heart

by celestial_seraphim



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, M/M, Soriku - Freeform, The Drift (Pacific Rim)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-03-08 04:38:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18887335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestial_seraphim/pseuds/celestial_seraphim
Summary: The world is thrown into turmoil as gigantic monsters known as The Heartless begin to show up. To combat them, the Jaeger program was formed, but now, production of Jaegers is halting as there are less and less valid pilots. Riku was an ace pilot who piloted the Jaeger: Braveheart with his past partner. However, an incident on a routine mission happened resulting in the death of his drift partner. All alone, Riku managed to move Braveheart himself back onto land. Since then, he vowed never to get into a Jaeger again until the program comes back to him with a new proposition.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I'm back into Pacific Rim, so here is a potential au I'll be working on. I'll add more characters to the list as they show up more in the next chapters.  
> Enjoy!

Pain. It etched along his arms and legs as the mechanical ones of his Jaeger were torn apart. Riku felt it as if it was happening to him. He didn’t dare turn his eyes towards his partner. He knew the connection was dead. That warmth he felt in the drift was long gone. Still, even after the creature had left, something within told him to keep going. He couldn’t die in a place like this: cold and utterly alone. Gritting his teeth hard enough to shatter them, he willed his torn up limbs to move, taking the full weight of the Jaeger himself. Metal creaked and electrical wires sparked as the Jaeger limped along through the cold sea. 

As the sun began to rise, Riku kept his eyes dead set on that light. At this point, he couldn’t tell what was his body and the Jaeger’s. Yet, even with no hope left, he pushed onwards. Funny. He had worked so hard for this only to be defeated by the creatures he vowed to extinguish. It was like he was in some kind of cruel play where no matter his achievements, fate won in the end. His mind steadily became heavier and heavier as darkness crept on his vision. Even after reaching dry land, the Jaeger crept along until the legs finally gave out. Metal collided with land as the Jaeger came crashing down, ejecting Riku out of the cockpit in the process. 

The life within him flickered, only having enough strength left to lift his head up one last time. There were figures running towards him: loud sounds muted by a constant humming. He couldn't even feel the frigid wind. Warmth. Something warm was engulfing him until that was all he could feel. It felt nice..to feel something. It was as if he was back in the drift with his partner. As his eyes slowly closed, he forgot about the world around him for just a moment: just one blissful moment.

* * *

 

A sheen of sweat shone on Riku’s forehead, having to step away from the line for a moment. He was glad for the fans and such, but ventilation in this place could definitely be better. Taking a seat at the bench near an open window, Riku fanned himself, chugging about half of his water bottle down. He could never keep track of just how many Gummi parts he worked on on his part of the line, but it was mindless busy work at this point. Parts of a huge wall was what they were going to be. It seemed many still thought the walls would keep the Heartless out. Well, whatever. They did the job they were supposed to do. Riku lifted the hem of his tank top to wipe the sweat off his face. For a moment, he glanced down at the claw like scars that wound around his arms but didn’t dwell on that for long, quickly focusing on the parts moving down the line instead. There was something he could appreciate about the structure of this place. Riku knew what to expect everyday. There was nothing that was unpredictable besides the occasional accident. It was a factory with heavy machinery after all. He could focus on his task alone and not have to worry about anyone else. 

Seeing that more parts were coming down, Riku slid his goggles and gloves back on, stepping back over to his work station. Bright sparks flew as he used a blowtorch, occasionally hitting his shoulder, but at this point, the bit of pain was something he was used to. Because of this, his shoulders were marked with tiny burns. He found peace in these simple tasks: just him and the Gummi parts. 

   “Yo, Riku, someone’s been asking for you.” 

Riku paused and took his goggles off, glancing around to try to pinpoint where the voice had come from. He saw one of the other workers walking off, replaced by a man in a uniform walking towards him: someone he recognized instantly despite trying his best to forget those days. He immediately started backing up as he was getting closer, shaking his head. 

   “Oh, no, no, no, not you. What do you want?” He had backed up until the wall behind him wouldn’t allow him to anymore. 

   “Riku. It’s been a while. I..didn’t expect to find you in a place like this. Going for the simple life of a worker?” He walked up until he was just a few feet away, crossing his arms with a look of disappointment. 

   “Terra. I quit the program. I’m done, so what do you want? If it’s for me to come back, then you can forget it,” Riku practically growled the last part, mirroring him by crossing his arms. He figured it wouldn’t take them long to find him again. After all, he had been one of the best pilots in the program, but they really had the nerve to try to get him back, didn’t they? 

   “And your content with working on a line at a Gummi factory? You and I both know the walls won’t stop the Heartless. It’s only a temporary solution. Listen, Jaeger pilots are becoming less and less frequent. Many have even stopped producing Jaegers. They don’t see a point in wasting resources on something that might not even be used. That being so, we managed to salvage and fix up your old Jaeger: Braveheart. It still needs two pilots, and I’m looking at one right now.” As always, Terra wasn’t the most eloquent with the way he put things as he stared Riku down. Riku visibly flinched at the mention of his old Jaeger: the pain, the warmth, the absolute thrill. He grabbed onto his own arm, rubbing his thumb along the scars. 

   “I made a vow to myself the day I woke up after the incident. I vowed I would never get into a Jaeger again. The warmth..I could still feel it. When I felt it, I thought it was the warmth I felt in the drift with my partner, but reality came crashing down on me the moment I woke up. It was my blood. When I was ejected out of Braveheart, I was lying in a pool of my own blood. What kind of sick hope is that, huh? I can’t do it. I can’t pilot a Jaeger. I respect you, Terra, for sticking with the program and all. I’m not a fool. I know the walls won’t hold back the monsters, but this job gives me a stability that I never got in the program.” Riku tore his eyes away to focus on the ground almost out of shame. What was he doing but feeding into the inevitable destruction of this world? 

   “Let me try to convince you, then. I’m not saying you have to jump back into Braveheart right away. We can take baby steps.” Terra’s eyes softened a bit. He remembered rushing to the hospital on the base when word got out that only Riku survived. When he ran into the room, he didn’t see the sharp eyed pilot he remembered, but a shell of him wrapped up in bandages upon bandages with multiple tubes going into him. “I’ll offer you this because I want to see you succeed and put your skills to use, not working in a factory until the end of the world happens. You were once a pilot, so how about you teach the new recruits in the program? They can use all the guidance they can get, and I’m sure they’ll do well under someone with experience like you.” 

   “Well, I..” Riku clenched his fist as he glanced at his surroundings. Shades of grey were all he saw in this factory besides when he glanced out the window at the colossal wall that towered over the city. Was he really free? “Fine. But I’m not getting in a Jaeger. I suppose I can try to teach the young ones, but that’s all I’m doing.” Riku kept his voice low and to the point, nodding to Terra to prove his point. “If you do try anything, I’m going back here in a heartbeat.” 

   “It’s a deal, then.” Terra extended his hand out to him. With a grease stained glove, he cautiously shook it. “Come on. My ride is waiting outside to take us to the base.” 

   “Wait, right now??” Riku had to take a double take as he was just about to walk back over to his workstation. 

   “Of course. We need you to start right away..or are you really not up to the task?” He gave him that smirk that Riku always loathed. With a groan and a roll of his eyes, Riku grabbed his small backpack. 

   “Fine. Let’s go. I’m not scared.” 

From the window in his room, Sora spotted the gummi ship returning to the base, landing on one of the first pads near the hangar. He was back! With an excited smile, he grabbed his coat and keycard, running down the halls much to the disdain of the others bustling about as he occasionally bounced off of someone. The wind from the aircraft tousled his hair around, waving excitedly from the hangar bay. He was about to run up to Terra as soon as he saw him climbing down but paused when he noticed a silver haired guy with him who looked..really filthy with grease and oil stains on his tank top and face. Despite that, Sora put on a grin. 

   “Hey, Terra! Welcome back!” 

   “Hi, Sora. Were you waiting for me this whole time?” Terra chuckled, reaching out to ruffle his hair. 

   “Well, I trained for a bit, but I got bored, so yeah.” Sora leaned to the left to look over Riku who backed away slightly. 

   “Sora, this is Riku. He used to be in the Jaeger program and was a great pilot. He’s..retired now, but he’ll be here to train the new recruits, and you could always work on improving your own scores, you know.” 

Riku nodded at Sora, glancing over him with a scrutinizing look as he tried to figure him out. 

   “Wow, you piloted a Jaeger?? Lucky, I’m not allowed to,” Sora said with a slight pout. 

   “You’re not allowed to? Why?” Riku thought Terra had said they were short on pilots. Why would he deny a potential pilot the chance to get into a Jaeger? 

   “I’m afraid there isn’t time for that right now. You need to get inside and get changed and cleaned up. You kinda..stink to be honest.” Terra tried his best to hold back a laugh as he stepped away from Riku. 

   “Pff, excuse me. You’re the one who insisted I come back with you after I was just working at the factory.” Riku held his head up high indignantly. The absolute nerve of him. 

   “Sora, how about you show Riku to his room?” He handed Sora a keycard who enthusiastically nodded. 

   “Come on, follow me!” Not having much of a choice since it had been years since he last stepped into this base, Riku followed after Sora who walked a bit faster than he would prefer. It was time to start this nightmare, but he had to admit, the change of scenery from the factory was a breath of fresh air. 


	2. Chapter 2

Riku followed Sora down the various hallways towards the rooms thankful that there were at least maps of the place around. He had forgotten just how big this place was. As they walked, they passed by the main Jaeger hangar. Riku glanced to the side as he looked the models over. It looked like they had five of them here. Was that really all there was left? He felt his heart nearly stop when he spotted Braveheart. For a moment, he paused and walked up to the glass, placing a hand on the smooth surface. Braveheart..it looked just like it did before. His partner..god, the sheer amount of Heartless they used to fight only to be done in by some measly Category 3. 

   “Riku? Are you okay?” Sora spoke up after giving him a few minutes. 

Riku tore his eyes away from it. No, he’d never pilot it again. Someone else could. “I’m fine. Let’s keep going.” 

As he was walking behind Sora, he took a moment to look him over: short but a decent build. He at least looked sturdy enough to hold his own in a fight. But..why wasn’t he allowed in a Jaeger? There was something oddly familiar about him, something on the edge of Riku’s mind. Brown hair, blue eyes, short, and happy go lucky..Sora..why did he recognize that name? 

   “Well, here we are. Right across from my room.” Sora gestured to a door with a fresh label: “Riku.” 

Riku looked him over a final time, trying to dig deep into his memories. Everything about them was so fragmented nowadays. He could only remember flashes and pieces from the whole incident. Anything before that got sucked into that like a black hole. Up until now, he had started fresh as if he had worked in the factory all his life: a simple life. However, the presence of Sora was causing old memories to rise to the surface just starting to break through it. Riku gasped when he finally realized, putting a hand over his heart. How could he forget? God, he felt like an idiot. 

   “Sora..it’s..it’s really you. From the island? Y-you’re alright!” Without really thinking, he grabbed Sora’s hand to feel that he was real. 

Sora looked like he was about to start crying himself with his bottom lip trembling. “You do remember me,” he said with a shaky laugh before tears started streaming down his cheeks. “I wanted to see if you did. I’m glad you’re okay too!” Without warning, Sora pulled him into a hug, resulting in Riku having to slump down some. 

   “I made myself forget so much after the incident. But I remember hearing about Destiny Island falling in a Heartless attack, and I felt so helpless. I was on a mission on the other side of the world. There was nothing I could do but hope that you were okay. Kairi had already left for the program, right?” Riku held him closer, despite his own embarrassment, as he felt Sora trembling. 

   “Yes. I was alone, but Terra and Aqua..they saved me with their Jaeger, so that’s how I ended up here. I’m mostly a joke, though. My scores are so low it’s laughable, but I guess Terra must still see something in me, seeing that I’m still in the program.” Sora happily leaned into Riku, glad to just feel his warmth. He had always felt safe with him. 

   “I’m sorry I left when we were still so young. I just..I needed to get out of there and see the world. I should’ve taken you with me.” Riku remembered that day. He had gotten on the boat and watched Sora on the shore get farther and farther away until he couldn’t see him anymore. 

   “You had to follow your dreams. I don’t blame you for leaving. You know I’ll always care about you no matter what.” 

Riku felt a flash of heat across his cheeks as Sora looked up at him with those big, watery blue eyes. Those eyes..he could look at them forever. As he noticed the odd silence, he cleared his throat and slowly let go of Sora. 

   “Right, um, well, I’m covered in grease, and I stink, so I should take a shower, but..if they don’t have anything for me to do today, we could hang out or something?” Riku said as he scratched the back of his head. Why was talking so hard right now? It was only Sora. 

   “Yeah! I’d like that. I think Kairi and her partner, Lea will be free too. I’m sure she’d love to see you.” Sora’s eyes lit up at the proposition. 

   “Oh, she has a drift partner? And I think it’s more like she’s going to straight up punch me for ghosting you guys for so many years.” Riku could just imagine her reaction with an apprehensive look. 

   “Yeah, probably,” Sora laughed with a smirk of his own. “Mmhmm, they both have fiery personalities in their own ways, so they work well together. But I’ll let you go take that shower.” 

Sora waved before turning to go to his own room across from Riku’s with an awkward wave back from Riku. He wondered if Terra put his room by Sora’s on purpose. With a shrug, he opened the door, taking in the small room inside. It was enough for what it was meant for with a bed and tiny kitchenette. Once he made sure the door was closed and locked, he stripped out of his stained tanktop and warm up pants, heading towards the equally tiny bathroom. Thankfully, the shower did get hot water which Riku happily indulged in, just letting the water pour over him. He wondered what it was about warmth that he was always drawn to: the warmth of this water, the warmth of another person, the warmth of the drift.. Riku clenched his fist, forcing his mind to go blank before any unsavory memories popped up. He found Sora again. That was all that mattered right now. 

When he finally got out, nearly falling over from being under the hot water for too long, he found a new set of clothes folded neatly on his bed. He knew he locked the door, so he must not have noticed them when he walked in at least he hoped. Well, at least they knew he enjoyed wearing black. Before getting dressed, he glanced at himself in the mirror. As always, he averted his gaze on the scars that wound up his arms and legs. His tattoo on his back still looked alright, but he would probably need to get it touched up soon. The rounded parts framed his back nearly perfectly with two points going downwards winding around the curve of his back. He remembered the artist asking the significance of the sigil. Riku had only answered it was something he had seen frequently in his dreams. The new warm up pants hugged his legs perfectly along with the new tanktop. He also found a jacket there bearing his old symbol on the back: a red hollowed out heart, the same that was on Braveheart. Well, they certainly knew how to put personal touches into things. Sliding the jacket over the tank top, he took a moment to fix his hair up in the mirror. After all, he hadn’t seen these two in a while. Well, Sora had seen him previously, but he should probably try to look his best for Kairi considering she was most likely going to deck him. 

As Riku left the room, two people nearly ran right into him as they sprinted past with Riku hearing “You ate the last chicken nugget, you fuck!” Riku whipped his head around once he caught himself, only seeing the last one round the corner. Geez, were these the people he was going to be training? He could already tell this whole deal was going to be a pain in the ass. 

   “Looks like Vanitas and Roxas are at it again,” Sora chuckled. He walked over to Riku from his spot of leaning against the wall by his door. 

   “Who?” Riku straightened out his jacket at nearly being run over. 

   “Dark hair, red eyes: that’s Vanitas. The blonde is Roxas, though he has a twin named Ventus that looks pretty much the same as him,” Sora chuckled, putting a hand on Riku’s shoulder to steady him. 

   “Well, that’s just great. They already sound like they’re gonna be suuuper great to work with.” Riku was not shy in using sarcasm. 

   “I promise they’re actually pretty sweet..once you get to know them,” Sora teased as he stuck his tongue out. Riku furrowed his brows at him. 

   “Yeah, well, I think everyone is sweet to you. I’m less likeable.” 

   “That’s not true! I like you!” 

Riku only laughed as he started walking down the hallway with Sora. He couldn’t quite pinpoint the feeling, but he always felt free when he was around him, like he could truly be himself. 

However, as soon as they walked into the mess hall area and spotted Kairi, he instantly tensed up. Part of him wondered if one of the reasons she joined the program was to find him and kick his ass for leaving. She waved at Sora once she spotted him, but Riku watched her smile fade once she saw him. Riku half heartedly waved back, contemplating if he still had time to run at this point. 

   “Oh, uh, h-hey, Kairi,” Riku squeaked as she walked up to him with a fire in her eyes. Out of reflex, he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable, but found that she brought him into a tight hug instead. 

   “It took you long enough, Riku.” There was a quiet rage to her voice, but Riku tentatively hugged her back. 

   “Yeah, s-sorry..I’ve had my own stuff going on. I’m just glad you and Sora are okay. I have to say, I didn’t expect you to leave the island for the program.” 

She let go of him after a little bit, gesturing for him to sit with all of them. “Yeah, well, the situation was getting worse, and I wanted to do something instead of just waiting around for something to happen. But..it couldn’t stop the inevitable unfortunately.” 

Riku looked to the red haired guy sitting by her with a tentative wave. “Riku, this is Lea. He’s my drift partner. People didn’t expect us to be compatible, but given the other recruits..I say we’re not that odd.” 

   “Kairi calls me Lea, but everyone else calls me Axel, so whichever one you prefer. Nice to meet cha!” Lea smiled brightly, offering his hand to Riku who took it out of formality. 

   “I told you he’d remember me, Kairi. I had faith in our bond.” Sora playfully elbowed Riku’s side, nearly giving him a heart attack at the sudden contact. 

   “You seem jumpy, Riku.” Kairi smirked as she leaned in slightly. Riku could’ve sworn that she winked. 

   “Oh, uh, I’ve just had a weird day is all. I mean, I went into work as usual, and now I’m here meeting childhood friends. Can you blame me?” Riku stammered, trying to brush that off. 

   “And you’re really not going to pilot Braveheart?” Well, Kairi really knew how to get to the point. He glanced at Sora, knowing where she probably got that information from. 

   “No. Not after what happened. I know I don’t have to explain it. It was probably all over the news,” Riku said flatly, staring right back at her own gaze. Lea and Sora looked from Kairi and Riku to each other as the staredown commenced. 

   “Hmm, well, we’ll see. After having to train the recruits, I think you’ll change your mind.” There was that wink again. 

   “They’re that bad, huh?” 

   “Let’s just say it’s a clash of personalities. You’ll have your hands full.” 

Given what he had just witnessed in the hallway earlier, Riku could already imagine how this was going to go. Now that the grilling was done, the conversation settled into more casual topics with the three of them recalling memories from the island. Even though most of those fond memories had been forgotten, it was nice to live through them again through this conversation. Even though he had tried to start over and forget everything, in his own unconscious, he had missed them. Fate could be cruel, as he had thought back then, but right now, it seemed to be working in his favor. 


	3. Chapter 3

Riku leaned against the wall in the training/combat room munching on some spicy pickles. He figured he should enjoy some peace and quiet in here before mayhem ensued given what he had seen already from the new pilots. Sora leaned on the wall by him, idly twiddling his thumbs. He glanced away somewhere else when he felt he had been staring at him for too long. Still, he couldn’t help but follow the scars that wound up Riku’s arm. The pattern was serrated and rough looking like he had gotten clawed by a giant cat. He bit the inside of his cheek as he noticed they kept going into his tank top. When Riku noticed where he was staring, Sora nearly fell over once their eyes met. 

   “S-sorry! I didn’t mean to stare. Those are..some nasty looking scars,” he mumbled, already feeling himself sweat. 

   “It’s no big deal. I’ve had them for a while. I don’t know if you’ve been inside a Jaeger, but when you’re connected to it, whatever damage the Jaeger takes, you take it too. The Heartless raked its claws up the arms of it to the chest area.” Riku unabashedly pulled down the collar of his tank top showing more claw marks along his chest: a scarlet red against his pale skin. 

   “I can’t even imagine the kind of pain you were in..and to still pilot it by yourself..you’re really strong, Riku.” Sora clutched at his own chest, feeling like the very claws were hovering over his own skin. He could barely stand the pain of accidentally smacking his hand into a door or stubbing his toe. What would almost literally getting torn apart feel like? 

   “It was painful, but the pain was so great, that it just became numb after a while. Before my partner was completely gone, I think he was taking most of the pain from me in the drift..to protect me..” Riku clenched his fist. He remembered watching the life leave his eyes. 

   “Uh, you know..I’m glad you didn’t get taken by the Heartless.” Sora decided it was best to change the subject somewhat. After all, Riku had to keep his focus for training the others. 

   “Taken? I haven’t heard of this.” Riku perked his head up with a raised eyebrow. 

   “Yeah! I guess whole Jaegers with their pilots still inside have started getting taken by the Heartless. We’re still not sure where exactly they got brought to or why they want the pilots alive..I don’t really want to think about it honestly.” Sora shivered at the thought. Was it another dimension? Were they tortured, brainwashed? 

   “You think that’s what they were trying to do to me?” Riku hadn’t really thought about it. It seemed more like the Heartless was just trying to decimate the Jaeger than take it in one piece. 

   “Maybe..maybe it just got sloppy and ended up tearing your Jaeger apart? I honestly don’t know. I don’t..like watching that footage of your Jaeger getting destroyed..” 

When he heard Sora sniffling, Riku sighed and closed the distance between them, taking Sora’s hands in his. “Hey, I’m okay. I survived. I’m right here.” He gave his hands a squeeze in reassurance. He made a small noise in his throat when Sora suddenly hugged him out of nowhere, nuzzling his head against his chest. It was a good thing Sora was shorter than him because at this point, Riku’s face was beet red. With shaky hands, he rested them on Sora’s shoulders. “It’s alright, Sora.” 

Riku turned his head when he heard a snicker by the door, feeling like it was quite possible to pass out right now as he saw Kairi and Lea standing there. 

   “Hope we’re not interrupting a tender moment,” Lea laughed, though he tried his best to suppress it. Kairi elbowed him but was grinning from ear to ear. 

   “Ugh, were you guys about to make out?” One of the blonde haired twins made a face of disgust while the other gave an apologetic smile. 

   “Good to know our superior is a big gay nerd.” The dark haired one, Vanitas Riku believed his name was, cackled as he joined the twins. 

Riku quickly let go of Sora and cleared his throat. “Yeah, I am your superior, so I’d appreciate some respect. Line up.” He shifted his voice into a more commanding one but still gave Sora a small grin. He paced around the room as they all lined up, looking over what he would be dealing with. “I’ll go down the line. Say your name, and if you’re drift compatible with someone, say their name too.” 

   “I’m Ventus, but you can call me Ven. I’m compatible with my brother Roxas, along with Terra and Aqua.” Compatible with that many others? That was a rare trait. Riku kept that in mind. 

   “Roxas. Compatible with Ven and Vanitas. Xion sometimes too.” Roxas gave Riku a scowl, looking like he was raring for a fight. 

   “Vanitas. Compatible with Roxas and sometimes Ventus if I’m feeling it.” 

   “You already know me and Lea, Riku.” 

   “I’m Namine, and I’m compatible with Xion.” The blonde haired girl gave him the sweetest smile, gesturing to the dark haired girl with the pixie cut standing next to her. “Hey, I’m Xion.” 

   “Alright, good. Given the number of Jaegers I saw in there, I’m guessing each main pair has one, but training outside the Jaegers is just as important.” Riku gestured to the combat area with a bin full of staffs. “You have to be able to read and anticipate your partner’s every move, so you can move together as one.” Riku glanced over to Sora who sat down away from the group. Even though he wasn’t “allowed,” whatever that meant, to pilot a Jaeger didn’t mean he couldn’t join in. “Sora, I’ll use you for a demonstration.” 

    “Oh, a-are you sure, Riku? My combat scores are pretty low..you’ll probably wipe the floor with me,” Sora chuckled, scratching the back of his head. However, he stood up at the serious look from Riku. With everyone else staring right at him, he got up with a sigh and followed after him. 

   “It’s not about beating your sparring partner. It’s about reading each other’s movements and moving as one.” Riku tossed a staff to Sora who nearly dropped it as he fumbled it in his hands before gripping on. 

As they faced each other in the combat area, Riku started off slow, simply circling him sometimes coming at him with the staff. Sora was less assertive in his fighting style, but his guarding was at least decent. He’d pivot on his heel  to meet his staff against Riku’s before the strike reached him. Once Riku was used to Sora’s rhythm, he increased the difficulty, moving faster. The more they moved together, the more Sora’s confidence level got better and better, smiling and laughing along with Riku. 

   “Fuck him up, Sora!” He heard Roxas call out. 

Their fight was becoming more and more like a dance with Sora quickly swivelling around Riku’s attacks. Riku found himself grinning as he was actually having fun, nearly getting smacked in the head a few times by Sora’s jabbing strikes. However, he had the advantage in strength, whacking a few of the strikes out of his way. At last, he had an opening, going for a hit to Sora’s chest. In a panic, Sora dropped his staff completely, ducking down. Riku gasped when he felt a weight on him as Sora just straight up bear hugged him. The sudden move completely threw off his balance, causing him to fall over and rolling over so Sora had him pinned underneath him. With his dead weight right on his chest, Riku’s squirming wasn’t going to do much. At last, he let out a drawn out and sigh and raised his arms up. 

   “Haha, alright, you win this one. Low combat scores, my ass.” Sora offered him his hand and helped him back up with a yank. 

   “It’s true! I’m usually kind of timid with sparring which is probably why I don’t have a drift compatible partner, but for some reason..I have a lot of fun sparring with you.” Riku felt like he was going to melt just from Sora’s smile alone. Was it possible that they might be… 

   “Alright, the rest of you! Spar individually for a bit,” he barked out while he went back over to his water bottle. Once he was done chugging some water down along with whatever feelings that sparring match had brought out, he noticed Roxas standing there with a staff in his hands. 

   “Hey, I wanna fight you next.” From the determined look on his face, this had to be serious. Still, Riku couldn’t help but snicker. 

   “Eager to fight me, huh? Sure.” He wasn’t sure what his problem was, but it was his job now to train them, so he might as well indulge the request. 

   “I’m gonna wipe that stupid smirk off your face.” Riku raised his eyebrows when he saw Roxas holding two staffs: one in each hand. 

   “Please. If you think having two staffs is going to give you an advantage..” Roxas didn’t give him a chance to finish as he came charging at him, twirling in the air with two staffs acting as one coming right for Riku’s head. Riku ducked, going for a leg sweep, but Roxas was much too fast. Hearing Vanitas’ laugh in the background was definitely not helping. 

   “So, what is your problem with me exactly?” Riku met Roxas’ next strike with his staff, arms trembling and muscles flexing as he tried his best to hold back his brute strength. 

   “None of your fucking business!” The kick to his stomach caused Riku to double over, having to let his legs collapse as he rolled out of the way. Roxas was liable to break his wrist with those kinds of strikes. A sharp blow to his jaw by one of the staffs caused blood to drip from Riku’s lips. In a move of desperation, Riku flinched as he grabbed the staffs mid strike, yanking them down to pin Roxas down to the floor. 

   “Alright, that’s enough. This is turning into more of a brawl than a sparring match. So, go cool off,” he said lowly before letting him go. Roxas glared at him before marching off in a huff. Riku wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, studying Roxas as he walked off back to Vanitas. 

   “What’s his problem? I don’t even know him,” Riku sighed, having to sit down after that. 

   “Well, I think part of it is being protective of me,” Sora chuckled, offering Riku a towel. “And he used to really look up to you as a pilot. When I met him in the program, it was ‘Braveheart this, Braveheart that.’ I think he’s mad at you for just up and leaving being a pilot for a while. I think he looks at is as you giving up, and that just pissed him off. So, he’s getting his anger out on you now. Sorry.” 

   “Ohh, I see.” Riku felt a twinge of guilt at remembering his absence. He honestly didn’t remember much from that time mostly because he didn’t want to. It had been one of the darkest times where the pilot who was known to never give up actually just..gave up. For a moment, he just watched the others spar with each other, noticing how in sync a lot of them were. Were these hopeful new pilots really ready for the horrors that were out there? Riku snapped out of his thoughts at an announcement over the intercom. 

   “Alert! Alert! A Category Three Heartless has been spotted off the starboard bow. Active pilot teams to your Jaegers. Everyone to your stations.” 


	4. Chapter 4

The alarms all around were practically blaring in Riku’s ears as the training session was put to an abrupt end. The pilots scattered, and the active ones went straight to their Jaegers. Riku could hear the quicker pace of Sora’s footsteps behind him. Oh, right, he wasn’t “allowed” to pilot one. As they passed by the hangar, he glanced over at the newly refurbished Braveheart standing next to the other Jaegers. Before he had a chance to feel anything, he focused on the path ahead of him, swinging around corners and rather surprised that Sora was able to keep up as they made it to the main control room. 

Getting away from the alarm was a relief, but now that was replaced by the constant chatter of people over comms and computers with the click clack of keyboards. 

   “Ah, Riku and Sora.” Terra turned away from a blue haired woman whom Riku hazily remembered as Aqua from when he was in the program. Ventus stood next to her, his usual happy go lucky smile replaced by a serious look. 

   “Well, Ven and I should get going.” She turned to Ventus who gave an enthusiastic nod. 

   “Be safe. Both of you.” Riku squinted his eyes at that squeeze Terra gave to Aqua’s hand before her and Ventus ran off. “If you’re here, I’m guessing that means you’re not going to help out.” He couldn’t help but frown at that look of disappointment from Terra. “You know the board would welcome you back with open arms.” 

   “Haha, good joke, Terra. We both know I’m not going back into that Jaeger, but I’ll happily let some other pilots take it over,” Riku said with a scoff. “I came here to be of use from a strategic standpoint. Someone has to make sure these pilots are staying in line.” 

   “Riku..you’re really not going to pilot Braveheart ever again?” Riku had to hold back a whine at the big puppy dog eyes staring up at him. 

   “I..I just can’t..sorry..” 

   “Being a pilot of your skill, you could pilot it on your own limited by a certain uptime for your safety.” Seemed that Terra still wasn’t giving up. 

   “The answer’s no. Now, let me work and see what these pilots can do.” 

There was a soft huff from Sora beside him, which he chose to ignore for now, focusing on the array of cameras. 

Vanitas and Roxas high fived, ceremoniously knocking their heads together before getting into their Jaeger. Lea and Kairi gave each other a thumbs up while Ventus hopped up to hug Aqua before climbing in. 

   “Initiating drift,” Terra said over the main com line. 

Riku watched the monitor as the brain waves between the pilots converged and merged perfectly. Well, they at least had the drift part down. Actual training? That was another story. 

   “TERRA! PLEASE tell me you’ll let Rox and me use beast mode.” Terra visibly flinched as Vanitas’ voice came through full blast. 

   “I told you. Only in emergencies. It’s too much of a strain on your bodies to use it a lot,” Terra replied firmly followed by something mumbled by Roxas. “Anyways, is everybody ready to drop?” 

   “Fuck yes!” 

   “Of course.” 

   “Yes!!” 

With a confirmation, Terra began the countdown. This was something Riku had seen and experienced many times, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for the drop sequence. Sora, on the other hand, would watch in amazement every time, dreaming of maybe, just maybe that’s be him inside the cockpit someday. Once it reached zero, the heads dropped down in an eruption of orange sparks onto the bodies of the Jaegers. Soon after, the floor slid out from under them, dumping them into the dark ocean below. The ocean was a mass of waves, spraying over the Jaegers as the waves slammed into them. The floodlights on them instantly lit up, though it only showed the torrents of rain even more. The six of them looked off when they heard a hollow roar through the whipping wind and rain. Not too far away, a massive shadow moved around as glowing yellow eyes focused on them. As it neared, the Heartless was in the form of a giant wolf: all fangs and white fur, hot breath visible in the frigid air. From the shadows around it, smaller Heartless began to pop up. 

   “They never make it easy, do they?” Lea sighed but smiled at an arm bump from Kairi. 

   “They don’t, but that’s what makes it fun.” 

   “Okay, guys, so let’s make a plan-” Aqua didn’t get a chance to finish as Shadow Rage came barreling for the wolf Heartless at full speed along with screams from Roxas and Vanitas. “....never mind. Just follow them.” 

Light Weaver danced around gracefully, keeping their distance as they launched spell missiles from afar. Crimson Oath followed after Vanitas and Roxas, watching their back as they fought off any oncoming attacks. 

   “Let’s do this, Kairi! Activate keyblade!” They both belted out followed by the flashing notification on their screens. With a screech of metal, a glowing flame shaped keyblade jutted out from the Jaeger’s arm and was quickly put to work slashing away any Heartless that dared to jump at them. 

Shadow Rage worked with pure strength and agility. Roxas and Vanitas easily maneuvered around any attacks and dealt out double the damage. A punch right to the eye made the wolf Heartless howl in rage, trying to retaliate with a few snaps at them. 

   “Haha, you missed, you dumbass!” Vanitas cackled, swinging a roundhouse right at it. 

   “Warn me before you just do that!” 

   “Aw, you should be able to just read my mind by now~” 

As Riku watched them fight, he gave a nod of approval. Despite how abrasive many of them were, Vanitas and Roxas worked surprisingly well together as a head on destructive force, backed by Kairi and Lea with Aqua and Ventus launching attacks from afar: a rather sound strategy. 

   “Hey, Shadow Rage. Give Crimson Oath the lead now. You don’t wanna expend too much energy,” Terra said over the comm, though it sounded more like a suggestion than an actual command. 

   “Yo, Terra, dude, we got this.” Vanitas glanced up at the camera, grinning from ear to ear. 

   “Move out of the way!!” Kairi’s guttural scream alone was enough to make them quickly hop out of Crimson Oath’s path as her and Lea were preparing a keyblade attack. Steam rose up from the glowing weapon as the rain quickly evaporated against the heated surface. In a blast of light nearly bright enough to illuminate the whole area, a blaze shot out from it, hitting the Heartless head on, easily knocking it back. 

   “They’re so amazing!” Sora said in awe as he watched the attack, cheering on all of them. 

Riku glanced over at another monitor trained on the horizon. His eyes flickered from the burned up wolf to..something else appearing. It was faint, but there was definitely a violet light getting closer and closer. 

   “Can you zoom the camera in on that light?” Riku leaned in as the camera slowly zoomed in. He gasped once it was close enough to see the silhouette of a..Jaeger? “Terra. Look at this.” He didn’t wait for an answer as he grabbed Terra’s arm and pulled him over. He tapped his finger on the screen at what definitely was a Jaeger now. However, there was a strange aura about it. It glowed purple, the eyes a bright yellow. As quickly as he could, Terra poured through the Jaeger database, putting a hand over his mouth as he found one matching it exactly. 

   “That..that’s impossible. That Jaeger was lost months ago..how?” Terra kept looking between the database and what was on the screen. “There’s no doubt now. That’s Heaven’s Rain. The pilots were Ephemer and Skuld, but we lost them to a category five Heartless. We watched their Jaeger get pulled down into the depths never to come out again.” 

   “If that’s the case then..this can only mean the Heartless are taking Jaegers and their pilots alive..” It was horrifying to think about, but the only reason why Heaven’s Rain would come back. “Try tapping into its comm.” 

The main officer attempted to hail them but only static could be heard from the other end. “Their comm is open, but I’m not getting any response.” 

   “The Heartless couldn’t plan something like this on their own..there’s gotta be something else to this..” Riku placed a hand on his chin as he thought. Was that..what they had tried to do with him and his old partner? They must’ve not counted on them putting up such a fight or his partner making a sacrifice for him. 

   “Riku? You okay?” Riku’s eyes softened some at Sora’s voice, placing a hand on top of his head. 

   “Whatever this is, I’m sure the three Jaegers out there can handle it.” 

Everyone in the room looked over as the door slammed open followed by a rather out of breath man in a lab coat. “I heard something about Heaven’s Rain! What’s going on?” 

   “Oh, I don’t usually see you in here, Ienzo. But yeah, Heaven’s Rain suddenly showed up out of nowhere, but..it’s weird looking..almost like it’s..” 

   “Corrupted?” Ienzo took a deep breath, straightening himself out for a moment. 

   “Are you saying you know what this thing is?” 

   “Yes, well, sort of. I have my theories, and it’s a phenomena that’s been happening more and more often.” Ienzo stepped over to the screen, studying the lone Jaeger with interest. “It seems something..or maybe someone has control over the Heartless. They’re starting to work in strategic plans of their own: capturing Jaegers with the pilots inside intact. I believe they’re bringing them to whatever realm they come from and manipulating them to be weapons for their side. It’s rather ingenious really. Take something powerful from your enemy and make it your own. You can see the dark goop covering Heaven’s Rain and the strange aura. It’s definitely been tampered with.” 

   “And Ephemer and Skuld? You really think they’re still alive?” Terra was trying his best to remain calm, but the slight quiver to his voice was noticeable. 

   “They have to be. They need them to pilot the Jaeger, but..I’m not sure what their mental state is. I’ll only know if we can get them to this base where I can monitor them.” 

A shriek from Ventus made everyone turn their heads. Heaven’s Rain was bearing down on Light Weaver with incredible speed, much more than a Jaeger should be capable of. Him and Aqua’s timed blocks were only just enough to keep from getting hit, but the thing was relentless, knocking them back with a swift kick and tackling them with lethal force. Crimson Oath didn’t hesitate to come to their aid, though the keyblade stabbing through it seemed to have no effect as a back kicked knocked them away. 

   “All of you! This is an order. Do whatever is necessary to immobilize that Jaeger and get the pilots out of it alive,” Terra barked out, having to bite his lip to keep from saying anything else as he heard pained cries from both Ventus and Aqua. “Ven, Aqua, hang in there.” 

   “Whatever is necessary, huh?” Vanitas and Roxas were practically sneering at him through the screen. 

   “Yes, yes, you can use beast mode. Just go.” 

   “Well, you heard him, Van.” 

Both of them were practically vibrating from excitement as “beast mode initiated” sounded through the whole cockpit. Green lights shone down the spine of the Jaeger to its limbs. The frame of it spasmed and bent as it was forced onto all fours. In the cockpit, they both were shifted the same way, going to a crawling position. Vanitas’ usual red eyes now glowed a dazzling crimson along with Roxas. From the pure adrenaline forcibly pumping through their veins, the laughs coming from them were enough to send a chill down Riku’s spine. With feral screams from both of them, the Jaeger lunged forward on all fours, giving a roar of its own as it full on tackled the corrupted Heaven’s Rain. In beast mode, it was a much fairer fight with Shadow Rage able to match its increased speed. They were..relentless to say the least, easily ripping off its right arm and flinging it into the ocean. They were fearsome..but Riku couldn’t help but notice how little the damage seemed to be affecting Heaven’s Rain. Usually, pilots would feel every instance of pain if the Jaeger got hit, but..it kept on fighting just as fiercely even as it was getting torn apart. There were gasps all around as the arm reformed thanks to the dark goop, creating what looked like the part of a Heartless. It cruelly grabbed the head of Shadow Rage, tossing them into a massive wave. Any kind of support the other Jaegers tried to provide was quickly guarded and knocked right back at them thanks to the Heartless forms on Heaven’s Rain. 

   “Is there an uptime for their beast mode?” Riku quickly asked as he clenched his fist. These newer pilots were good, but..they hardly had the actual experience to back it up save for Aqua who was firing missiles whenever she could. 

   “Yeah, that timer there.” Terra gestured to the screen showing their status. “Their bodies can only handle the flood of adrenaline for so long. It’ll automatically turn off once it hits zero for safety reasons.” 

Riku grit his teeth as he watched this mess of a fight. This thing was on a whole other level. It was only thanks to their beast mode that Shadow Rage was able to keep up. He couldn’t..he couldn’t let the same thing that happened to him happen to them. No one deserved to go through that. 

   “Listen up, all of you! You don’t need to worry about taking that Jaeger out. All you need to do is focus on the cockpit, extract the pilots, and it’ll be immobile. Shadow Rage: keep it busy along with Light Weaver and your long ranged attacks. Crimson Oath: use that keyblade to get to the cockpit. Got it?” All was silent as Riku’s voice boomed over the comms. He was half expecting some sassy comeback from Roxas and Vanitas but all he heard were “yes sirs and a yes sir...bitch.” 

Shadow Rage promptly headbutted the Jaeger, holding its arms back so the missiles made direct hits. In one fluid motion, Crimson Oath brought down the keyblade, slicing into its back with a sickening sizzle. Kairi and Lea worked quickly, sweat beading up on their foreheads as they tore off metal sheets and wiring, finding it rather difficult thanks to the dark goop oozing out of it. 

   “This..is so gross,” Kairi groaned, sighing in relief once they finally reached the cockpit. Sure enough, they saw two people inside, but they were practically covered in the weird goop. With both of them working together, they used the gentlest touch to scoop them out of there, holding them close to the Jaeger’s chest. Even with the connection gone, that didn’t seem to stop Heaven’s Rain in the slightest as it continued to move. 

   “Holy fuck! It’s a zombie Jaeger!” Vanitas and Roxas both opened up their mouths as the Jaeger did before taking a chomp out of the enemy Jaeger’s head having only about a minute left of beast mode. 

Carefully carrying the two lost pilots, Crimson Oath ran back to the base as quickly as possible followed by Light Weaver. With a last burst of energy, it didn’t take Vanitas and Roxas long to finish it off, spitting out whatever remains out of the Jaeger’s mouth. 

Riku breathed a sigh of relief as he watched it finally fall into the ocean. Sora held onto his arm seeing that he was about to fall over. 

   “I think that last command of yours really helped them, Riku,” he said with his brightest smile that could practically melt Riku’s heart. He cleared his throat as he felt his face heat up. 

   “Oh, uh, thanks. I figured motivating them..with a bit of force..would help.” 

Meanwhile, Ienzo was sprinting down to the hangar bay the fastest he had ever gone in his life like a bat out of hell. 


	5. Chapter 5

In the rush of events afterwards, Riku hurried down to the hangar with Sora. Lea and Kairi seemed okay, though Aqua was doctoring a few bruises from the beating her and Ven’s Jaeger had taken. They were quick to head down to the med bay. Shadow Rage had gotten an arm ripped off proven by it being set down by it in the hangar. Every now and then sparks flew out of the shoulder.Vanitas and Roxas were currently on the floor, a pained look on Vanitas’ face while Roxas popped his shoulder back into place. 

   “Uh, you know you can go to the med bay for that, right?” Riku cringed just watching them. 

   “We can handle this. Happens all the time, nosy prick,” Roxas snapped, carefully checking over Vanitas’ face. 

   “Hey, Van! Are you okay?” Sora chirped from behind Riku with his usual sunshine smile. 

   “Ah, my favorite cousin. Of course, I’m always okay.” Vanitas waved back, though he flinched as his shoulder protested against the movement. 

   “You guys are cousins?” Riku glanced from Vanitas to Sora. “Huh, I guess I do see the resemblance.” 

   “Yo, Rikky, you better treat my cousin right or I’ll be coming for you in that combat room,” Vanitas jeered, looking rather pleased with himself. 

“Ugh, stop moving around so much, asshole.” Roxas cupped his cheek, turning his head so he could glare right at him. “We gotta get meds for you so your shoulder doesn’t swell up.” He then focused it directly at Riku. “And you better get your ass in Braveheart sometime soon instead of sitting your ass down during battles. Terra has good reason not to pilot anymore, but you certainly don’t.” That glare was ice cold as he helped Vanitas up and began walking him over to the med bay. Vanitas proceeded to give him an “I’m watching you” gesture, waving to Sora before they were out of sight. 

   “Are they like..a thing..or something?” Riku pointed a thumb back at them. 

   “Haha, that’s the question everyone’s been asking. As far as I know, not officially,” Sora chuckled. He began pulling Riku over in that same direction. “Come on, we should go see those two pilots they saved before this place is swarming with board members.” 

Riku groaned at the mention of the board. To sum it up, it was basically a bunch of people who cared more about money and infrastructure over actually saving lives in the wake of this devastation. He reminded himself to duck out the first chance he got before they arrived, and god forbid Ansem shows up with them. Thinking back to his time as a pilot, he recalled seeing Ephemer and Skuld every now and then in the program. They were gifted pilots and one of the best teams always at the top of the ranks. Their power was uncanny really and to think they had been used as a weapon against their own side. Still, Riku humored Sora, smiling down at him as they weaved their way through the throng of people through the halls. 

The med bay was already crawling with pilots, engineers, and researchers alike. Using his height to his advantage, Riku pushed heads aside to get through. 

   “Senior officer coming through. Make way,” he said half heartedly, glancing back every now and then to make sure Sora was still following him. 

The sight before them was..hard to look at to say the least. Ephemer and Skuld were sat on two beds still unconscious as the black goop was still being cleaned off of them. The constant beeps from the heart monitors were faint..soft. As they drew as close as they could, Ephemer was trembling slightly, brows knitted together as if he was still fighting some demons of his own. Riku protectively held an arm out in front of Sora when Ephemer’s eyes suddenly flew open: stark yellow and glowing. With a beast like growl, he bolted up straight, baring his teeth. Just what..had been done to him? The medical team was on him in seconds, forcing him back down onto the bed. Ephemer quieted immediately when a needle went into his neck: eyes fluttering closed as he once again settled into an uneasy slumber. 

   “I think it’s best if the room is cleared. These two need to be monitored along with some peace and quiet.” With the order from the medical staff, the room slowly cleared out. Riku placed a hand on Sora’s shoulder when he noticed him trembling, gently leading him out of there with him. He found a secluded part of the hall, giving Sora’s shoulder a squeeze. 

   “Hey, you alright? I know that was..well, it scared the shit out of me honestly. I’ve never seen anything like that.” Sure, Riku had seen countless Heartless and Dusks while fighting in a Jaeger but to see a person he once sort of knew or had at least known about be more like..that..it hit a chord in his heart. Sora’s eyes were cast down, chest rising and falling quickly. When Riku gently took a hold of his hands, he could feel just how much he was trembling. Glancing around to make sure they were actually alone, Riku took a deep breath before gently taking a hold of his chin, tipping his head up to look at him. Tears wicked at those big blue eyes as they met Riku’s gentle cyan ones. 

   “Hey, those two are going to be fine. This base has one of the finest medical teams and researchers. They’re going to be okay. Thanks to the pilots here they were saved. I hate to say it, but Shadow Rage kind of saved the day thanks to their beast mode,” Riku said softly, leaning in ever so slightly but not enough for it to be...weird. 

   “Yeah..yeah, you’re right. I should have faith in everyone here.” That usual happy go lucky grin was steadily starting to come back. “Their beast mode is looked down on by the board, but they do save a lot of lives.” 

Riku took a risk and softly glided his thumb along Sora’s chin before letting go with a cough. Oh if only the board members could see it that way. He’d honestly be fine with all of them getting eaten by the Heartless. 

The sound of someone clearing their throat made Riku whip his head over to see a tall blonde man in a suit glaring at them. 

   “Ansem,” Riku remarked in the most deadpan voice he could manage. Just fucking great. Terra stood beside him with a clearly uncomfortable smile. 

   “Riku,” Ansem remarked right back at him. “If you’re done with..” He gave Sora a cursory glance, “Whatever it was you were doing, I’d like you to join Terra and me for dinner. There’s much to be discussed.” 

Riku tried his best to hold it in but he couldn’t help the roll of his eyes that followed. Not really giving much of a fuck, he held up one finger in a “just one moment” gesture. Like hell he was going to be like a new recruit with the whole “yes sir” bullshit with Ansem. 

Feeling no shame whatsoever, he turned to Sora and affectionately patted his head. 

   “Looks like I’m needed elsewhere, but you go find your friends and hang out with them, okay? I’ll be back tonight.” 

The warm smile alone from Sora was enough to melt his heart as he nodded with a new vigor. 

   “Have fun, Riku!” He gave Ansem one cursory glance before booking it down the hallway. 

Riku slowly turned around, being sure to put on his best bitch face, and went to join Ansem and Terra. 

For someone who was a stickler about funds and money, Ansem sure picked the fanciest places in the city to take them to. Riku couldn’t help but scoff at the fancy restaurant in front of them. The rich and elite really wanted to just pretend the apocalypse wasn’t happening or anything, huh? 

    “Will you please try to behave?” Terra whispered to him as they both trailed behind Ansem. Terra never changed. Riku loved the guy but boy, him wanting to keep the peace made him a major push over sometimes. 

   “No promises. I always speak my mind. I’ve seen the miserable lives a lot of people in this city live. I’m not letting this rich prick get all that he wants.” Oh, there was a fire in him now. He thought of all the pilots who died in battle, shed blood sweat and tears for this cause while people like Ansem just sat back at their desks hardly needing to lift a finger. Riku’s brows were furrowed as they sat down at a table and ordered drinks to start. 

   “It’s good to see you back in the program, Riku. A leader like yourself is sorely needed with all of those bra- inexperienced young men and women.” Ansem was quick to correct himself. “They need a role model to look up to among the pilots.” 

Riku nearly broke the glass in his hand with the sheer force of his grip. “Yeah? I think they were doing just fine on their own. Roxas and Vanitas neary took down that corrupted Jaeger on their own with more of a success with support from the others.” 

   “Oh, those two,” Ansem groaned, proceeding to pinch the bridge of his nose. “If they cause any more damage to their Jaeger or infrastructure, the board may have to consider drift partner reassignment.” 

Everyone in the vicinity turned their heads when Riku suddenly slammed his fist down on the table, making the whole restaurant go completely silent for a moment.    

   “Listen. If you force them to change partners, you’re going to cause a shit storm. I know those two before I left the program. I saw them first spar. They have a spark like no other, and I guarantee you they will fight that order tooth and nail. You’ll end up losing two great pilots, and Shadow Rage will just collect dust like Braveheart.” 

Terra was already face palming, sipping on his drink as he pretended the other two didn’t exist for the moment. Riku was already regretting mentioning Braveheart as he watched the look on Ansem’s face change. 

   “Speaking of that, are you ever going to pilot it? We spent a lot of money rebuilding and repairing that Jaeger after the..incident. My condolences to your old partner by the way.” This asshole..as calm and collected as ever. 

   “You’re telling me that you want me to get back in the Jaeger where I watched my partner die and also nearly got ripped apart??” Riku rolled up his sleeves, showing the red claw scars that wound up his arms. He could still remember that pain. In his deepest dreams, he felt the ache, the stinging pain along with the warmth from his partner slowly fading away until everything was cold. 

   “I remember hearing your last comm before you went dark,” Terra finally spoke up, clearing his voice to hopefully make the intrusion less awkward. “I’m not saying he’ll never pilot again, but it should be up to Riku when he wants to. For now, he’s a big help in the control room with his experience. His commands and strategies to the pilots really helped make the mission a success.” 

Riku actually cracked a hint of a smile at that. Terra really had changed a bit. He remembered how much of a stick up his ass he had as a pilot for the superiors, but now, well, he was one of them. He knew for sure Ansem wasn’t going to shut up about Braveheart, and ohhh we spent so much money to refurbish it. A smirk grew on his lips as he thought of a proposition: a certain someone who barely had any experience yet. 

   “You know what, Ansem, maybe I will take a crack at piloting Braveheart again.” Terra’s look went from one of confusion to realization. 

   “I’m glad to see you’re finally making some sense, I-” 

   “But there’s one condition.” Riku held up a finger as he proceeded to take a moment to stuff his face with the bread still warm and steaming on the table. “I want Sora to be my drift partner. We were childhood friends, you know, and I think he has a lot of potential from my time sparring with him.” 

   “Sora...that’s out of the question.” Finally, he was showing some emotion as he knitted his eyebrows. “We have our reasons for barring him from the Jaegers. Why don’t you tell him, Terra?” 

With the deepest sigh Riku had ever heard from him, Terra sat back, idly running his fingertips along the rim of his glass. “I was the one that rescued him from Destiny Islands before they were sunk into the ocean with my Jaeger: Ends of the Earth. I had never seen a Heartless..or whatever that thing was before in my career as a pilot. Sora..he carries some kind of power from that thing within him. It lies in his emotions which can be weaponized within the drift. We tried a drift test with him, but the power he holds, it nearly blew the whole system. We had to activate an emergency shut down. However,” Terra glared directly at Ansem before continuing. “I think with the right partner, he could control it, and it would greatly help us in this fight. Riku, I’ve seen you interact with him. You’d be a great grounding force that keeps him in check.” 

The look of pure shock on Ansem’s face was enough to make Riku crack up, fist bumping Terra’s arm. He probably thought he had golden boy here on his side. 

   “Nice one, Terra. See, I can keep Sora in check as an experienced pilot. Those are my terms. I’ll only pilot Braveheart if Sora is my partner. No negotiation.” 

Riku watched in amusement at the various expressions on Ansem’s face: from pissed, to contemplating, pissed again, maybe reluctant acceptance? Finally he nodded with a regretful sigh. 

   “Fine. If that’s what it’s going to take to put Braveheart into action again. But if anything goes wrong with Sora, the ban will be put on him again.” 

That was..oddly threatening, but Riku took small victories where he could get them. With a smug look on his face, he finished the rest of his drink. Hopefully, he could get some goddamn food now instead of just rich peoples’ bread. 


End file.
